Like a bird
by J.Bean1
Summary: Bonnie knows she's a damn good friend but sometimes she wishes she was more like her friends who could afford to be selfish in their choices. It doesn't help that everyone is so dependent on her being selfless and the expectation is that she maintains the status quo. However, she has grown discontent and now wonders what's the worst that could happen if she were to spread her wings
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries.**

When Elena became a vampire, Bonnie felt sad on her behalf as it was not the fate their group of friends wished for her. After sadness, Bonnie felt indignation because all of their efforts and sacrifices, especially hers, in keeping Elena safe had been for naught. Maybe she should have told the group that she was working with Klaus in order to defeat Esther at her own game but even she knew that if she had done so, their plan would have never worked as her friends had the tendency to cause more harm than good despite their best intentions. After indignation, she felt relief because now Elena had the power to protect herself and there wouldn't be a need for her to perform miracles in every dire situation.

Her relief did not last long. Next came the guilt for thinking discourteously about her best friend especially when it was obvious that she's having a difficult time coping with the transition. She's never heard of a vampire who was allergic to blood from a blood bag, _Elena just had to be the first,_ she thought to herself somewhat bitterly. It seems the discourteous thoughts were not about to depart anytime soon. Again everyone was looking to her to perform a miracle and the Salvatores downright expected it of her, Stefan from the looks he gave her and Damon had the nerve to tell her that they could have prevented Elena's vampire status if she had told them she was working with the enemy. _Yeah right,_ she thought sarcastically, after Elena, the Salvatores are the ones who screw up the most.

However, she did feel compelled to figure out and solve Elena's blood bag allergy problem but before she could provide the solution to the current problem, Elena had announced to her and Caroline during a rare sleepover that she was in love with Damon and has in fact slept with him. This led to an intense argument between Elena and Caroline, the latter angry on Stefan's behalf and questioning Elena on why she is suddenly acting like the sun shone out of Damon's ass. It was during the argument that something occurred to Bonnie, she had of course noticed how Elena was only too happy to comply with Damon's wishes. Bonnie's mind raced with the possibility of what she suspected was going on with Elena.

"Don't you have anything to say Bonnie?" Caroline asked her still incredulous over Elena's new found feelings for Damon. Personally, Bonnie thought the signs were always there but she knew that saying that would lead to new dimension of the argument and she was not prepared to be engaged in it. Instead she posed a question of her own.

"Why do you think you're allergic to the blood bag?" She could see that the change in topic was not the response both girls were expecting. Caroline had wanted Bonnie to back her up convinced that she would express her distaste for Damon while Elena who had steeled herself, ready for Bonnie's judgment was at a loss on how to take Bonnie's question. On one hand she was glad that Bonnie wasn't judging her but on the other hand, it seemed that she didn't care enough about her new relationship and she didn't know how to feel about that but she decided to make use of the reprieve Bonnie's question gave her.

She sighed, "I don't know why but Damon says that it's in a vampire's nature to feed from the vein and so far it's been the only type of blood I can stomach." She says the last part quietly as if ashamed and then she tries to insert a bit of self-depreciating humour, "I had hoped my former nature would have been amplified not the new deadly me." Caroline immediately goes to comfort Elena but Bonnie has other things on her mind and she needs to confirm if her theory may be right so she tells them that she needs to leave and before they can ask why she says.

"I believe that the old you is as strong as ever and you will overcome the new deadly you just as Caroline did, you just have to believe that as well." Elena nods with tears in her eyes and Bonnie hugs both her and Caroline. They promise to have lunch together at the grill and Bonnie smiles because now that they are both vampires, Elena and Caroline do not necessarily have to get lunch at the grill but she's happy that that hasn't changed. _Yet_. She can't help but think that.

* * *

As soon as she drives away as is sure that there isn't a chance of being overheard, she dials a number on her phone and once it connects, she gives a curt demand.

"Meet me at my Grams place in fifteen minutes" she pauses for two seconds before adding "please." She hangs up before he can say anything and hopes he complies because she did not want to have to go to him. She reaches her Grams house and sees that he's already there, clearly waiting for her. She parks her car and not for the first time wishes that she had other people to go to for help but alas she doesn't know anyone else who is old and experienced enough in the many facets of the supernatural world like Klaus is.

"What can I do for you love?" she could just tell especially with the smirk on his face that he knows she needs his help and although it annoys her, she needs answers.

"Would you like to come in, I need to ask you something." She can see that she has surprised him with the invitation into her Grams home which was like her own sanctuary but he is quick to hide his surprise.

He follows her inside, she's made many changes in the home to now suit her needs and although Klaus knows that it's her grandmother's house, there's very little trace of the older woman left in the house.

"So what is it you need to know?" Klaus asks going straight to the point.

"Is it possible for Elena to be sired to Damon?" she asks. She saw no point in beating around the bush.

Klaus chuckled. "I had wondered how long it would take for you all to reach that conclusion." He found the situation between Elena and the Salvatores to be equal parts amusing and pathetic. As someone who had experienced being in a love triangle that involved his brother, he could not for the life of him understand why the Salvatores would willingly subject themselves so such torture a second time especially with a woman that shared the same face as the one who destroyed their relationship. The funniest part was that they had deluded themselves into believing that things were different with Elena.

"So she is sired to him?" Klaus notes that she is not really asking him but decides to answer either way.

"Yes. His blood created her."

"How do you break it? It can be broken right? I mean his blood also created Caroline and she's far from smitten with him." Klaus chuckles at the last bit but also contemplates whether or not he should answer that.

"What do I get if I answer this question" he asks instead. Her eyes narrow but then she relaxes and answers him with a question he did not expect.

"What do you want?"

Klaus regards her with a little suspicion. He's not used to this version of her that is almost compliant. He's suddenly not too sure of her motives, he begins to wonder if there's something more going on than her being concerned for her friend.

He walks up to her and places a wayward lock of hair behind her ear. She doesn't flinch from the contact.

"That's a dangerous question love." He says in a low voice. "One you shouldn't just ask anybody. You never know what the outcome may be if you can't deliver, it's best not to start something you can't finish."

Bonnie shrugs but looks at him expectantly obviously waiting for an answer to her question. He decides to answer her previous question. He moves away from her and sits on the sofa and motions for her to sit as well as though she were a guest in her own home but Bonnie refuses to let him goad her and seeing as he's about to answer her question, she sits.

"A sire bond can be broken but you should know that it only affects how a person acts, not how they feel."

Bonnie frowns. "I'm not sure I fully understand what you're telling me."

Klaus pauses, once again contemplating whether or not he should answer, he decides to be honest in this instance.

"Tyler is obviously not fond of me." Bonnie rolls her eyes at the understatement and Klaus smirks. "Despite that, he's bound to me because he feels gratitude to me for preventing him from suffering every full moon." He pauses and waits for her to fully comprehend that which doesn't take long. "For vampires it's different, the bond forms not out of gratitude but out of love due to emotions they felt prior to their transition which are now amplified."

Bonnie's mind races through the implication of what Klaus just told her. "The bond only breaks when their feelings change." This realization is not pleasant for her and before she can torment herself with the near hopelessness of the situation, Klaus says:

"Yes, that is one way of breaking the bond." She looks at him sharply and leans towards him asking, "how else can it be broken?" If Klaus didn't know better, he would think she was trying to compel the truth out of him, he suddenly wonders what she would be willing to do to get the answer to that question but he decides to wait for a more opportune time to get what he wants after he figures out what exactly he wants from her.

"The sire can tell the bonded to forget about them and move on with their lives," Bonnie could not imagine Damon being that selfless especially now that he and Elena were having sex, "or the bonded can switch off their humanity as then they won't feel anything be it love or gratitude."

Bonnie could not believe what she was hearing. The more she thought about it the more she realized that the best option would be for them to hope that Damon would do the right thing and set Elena free which she just couldn't see happening.

"You look like you need a drink love." Klaus says and Bonnie could detect the mirth in his voice but she didn't disagree with him. It doesn't mean that she's willing to be intoxicated in Klaus' company, he just might take advantage of her by securing an oath bound by blood. _No thank you._

"I think I'll survive. Thanks for your help though." Klaus shrugs good-naturedly and stands to his feet which caused Bonnie to stand as well. "Well if that's all, I think I'll be on my way."

Bonnie escorts him to the front door and before she can give another polite appreciation for his help, he leans down and kisses her on the cheek.

She freezes.

"Sweet dreams love." He says and before she can react, he's gone.

 **A/N: So...is it a yay or nay for me to continue this story? Let me know! I'm working on my other story so to those who are waiting for an update, I'm sorry its coming so late but it is coming so don't give up on it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries.**

To Bonnie's surprise, Damon does the right thing and restores Elena's autonomy to her. Of course, the reveal did not start out pleasant at all. Everyone was in the Salvatore boarding house as it was the norm now, to discuss problems and suspicions when Elena's blood bag allergy came up. Bonnie, who had been thinking of a way to tell them about the sire bond that would lead to the least conflict, froze when the issue came up and the gang took it to mean that she had not found a solution. She would have left them to their mistaken belief if Damon had not decided to question her competence, which led her to blurt it out.

"She's sired to you."

You could hear a pin drop with how silent the room got after she said that. Even Stefan who was in the midst of scolding Damon paused and gaped in surprise but it was Damon, unsurprisingly, that broke the silence.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked but at the same time Bonnie could see that he completely understood what she said but was unwilling to accept the consequences of her statement.

"Elena is sired to you. Your blood created her and –" before she could continue, Damon cut her off.

"That doesn't make sense, my blood also created Caroline and I doubt anyone here can presume to say she's sired to me."

"Damon is right Bonnie. Why would Elena be sired to Damon when Caroline isn't?" Stefan asked and Bonnie can see the rest of the gang looking at her to explain the anomaly.

It strikes Bonnie in that moment how really ignorant they all were about the supernatural world. Even Damon and Stefan who should have been their go-to guys considering they are over a century years old were of no help in most cases and it made her wonder how exactly they spent their days before coming to Mystic Falls.

"For vampires, the sire bond arises if the newly turned vampires had feelings for their sirer before they were transformed." She almost wishes she could take back those words due to the reactions of most of them. Elena blanches while Stefan looked like he would throw up. Caroline looked conflicted and Bonnie assumes it's because she didn't know who to comfort without looking like she was taking sides. Alaric, Matt and Jeremy looked uncomfortable and it was obvious they didn't want to be there for the remainder of the conversation. Damon was unreadable and his reaction worried her until he asked with more calm than she expected.

"Can it be broken?" she noticed that she was not the only one surprised that he would ask that but either way she nodded yes that it can be broken and proceeded to tell them how the sire bond can be broken.

Bonnie did not even have to threaten Damon into removing the sire bond, he did it right there and then. He told Elena that he wanted her to act for herself and not just because she wants to please him, he downright commanded her to be her own person while she cried silent tears which made it uncomfortable to watch especially with the knowledge of what is currently going on between them.

When Damon was done, Bonnie knew the sire bond was no more because Damon had restored Elena's autonomy back to her but in order to test it, a blood bag was brought to Elena. Everyone watched with bated breath to see if she would throw it up but when she didn't, they all sighed in relief but the relief didn't last long at least in her case when Elena asked Stefan if she could talk to him in private.

Her instincts didn't fail her because a few moments later, Damon and Caroline tensed and before could blink, Stefan vamped back to the living room and started beating the shit out of Damon.

Caroline tried to separate them and Elena was there begging Stefan to stop but nothing seemed to be getting through to him so Bonnie gave him an aneurysm to stop him. When the aneurysm had done it's damage to his head, Elena delivered the damage to his heart, both their hearts.

"I'm sorry Stefan. I didn't mean to hurt you but this is how I feel now and Damon is not to blame for my feelings. Just me. I don't want to be the reason why you and Damon's relationship further deteriorates. _Bonnie couldn't help but think too late for that._ It's why I've decided that it would be better if I walked away, from both of you."

"Elena –" Damon begins to say something in protest and even Stefan looked more depressed with her sudden decision but Elena had her determined face on.

"It's my decision and I would like for it to be respected." She says strongly before leaving with Jeremy and Alaric trailing after her. Bonnie can only hope that Elena sticks to her decision at least until the whole situation is less of a bloody mess.

* * *

When Bonnie finally got to her Grams house, she preferred staying there whenever her dad wasn't around, she was exhausted. After leaving the boarding house, she ran a few errands for herself that didn't take long before going to the Gilbert home to check up on Elena. Caroline was already there and the two of them stayed with her while she cried her eyes out and unburdened her worries.

She was devastated that she had inadvertently followed in her ancestor's footsteps. Due to the revelation behind the mechanics of the bond, she could no longer deny that she had feelings for Damon when she was still in a relationship with Stefan. She even asked her and Caroline if they ever noticed her acting like her hated ancestor to which they tried to convince her that she was nothing like Katherine which was true but Bonnie couldn't help thinking that she did encourage and enjoy Damon's advances albeit unconsciously which led her to say:

"You're nothing like Katherine. You're human and humans make mistakes. The good thing is that you've taking steps in doing the right thing and that's all that matters." Caroline nods in agreement before adding. "Things will work out in the end Elena, what's meant to be will be."

"Thank you guys, you're such good friends." _Don't I know it,_ Bonnie thought to herself.

* * *

The next couple of days have been painfully awkward especially whenever the gang gathers in the boarding house and Bonnie realises that everyone including her is waiting for the other shoe to drop. The love triangle between Damon, Elena and Stefan became such a major feature of the group's dynamic that Bonnie fears that it's only a matter of time before its reinstated.

In the meantime, the gang had not encountered any suspicious persons who might be a threat to them and the Originals, in this case Klaus and Rebekah because Elijah and Kol took off after Esther was defeated, were surprisingly on good behaviour. Rebekah spent her days flirting with Matt and being the popular high school mean girl that she's always fancied herself being while Klaus was...well, she can't exactly tell what Klaus has been up to. She can only guess that it's nothing diabolical since there's been no report of missing persons or animal attacks. This does not inspire confidence that the original hybrid is being a good ole boy but she's not exactly eager to find out what he could possibly be up to. _Better not to go looking for trouble, knowing her luck she just might get it._ Bonnie sighs. _Ignorance is bliss but she's always stood by the maxim that knowledge is power._

She picks up her phone and dials Klaus' number.

"Missed me love?" came his arrogant greeting.

She scoffs. She would only be too glad to have Klaus and his family along with their propensity to cause her grief as far away from her as possible. Alas, he's in the same town as she and her Grams had taught her to make the best of whatever situation she finds herself in.

"I need a favour." She's found that the best way to deal with Klaus is to get straight to the point, makes it harder for him to play games when she's upfront with what she wants. _The worst that could happen is for him to refuse her._

"Why would I want to help you and what's in it for me?" Bonnie can't help but think sourly that he should be satisfied by now with all he's managed to achieve and acquire.

"I could always go to someone else but you're the best option." She says, stroking his ego a little while at the same time letting him know that she's not desperate for his help.

There's a pause on the other end and Bonnie believes he's about to refuse her. She can't help her disappointment.

"I'll bring the booze." He says and hangs up before she can say otherwise but it doesn't matter. She'll get him to educate her on the supernatural world because unlike his siblings and the Salvatores, he hasn't been stuffed in a box for years nor has he been narrow-minded on the goings-on of the supernatural world. The only question before her now is what exactly is she going to give as payment for his help? She's not naive enough to believe that his help comes without a hidden cost but she wonders if she's capable of paying the cost. _Well only time will tell and until then I'll hope for the best and prepare for the worst._

 **A/N: Thank you guys for your support! It means a great deal to me that you enjoy reading this and I hope you continue to enjoy reading this story. I will update my other story before the end of the month so those reading that one should keep an eye out for it. Let me know what you think of this chapter, I'm open to constructive criticism!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries.**

Elena was getting on her nerves. Her decision to take a break from the Salvatore brothers has apparently left her with a lot of time on her hands and she has decided to spend the time by meddling in Bonnie's love life. _Lack of it is a better term but whatever._

She keeps going on about how Jeremy is not the same ever since they broke up. How he watches her with so much longing when she's not paying attention. How he regrets what happened with Anna. She even goes on to tell Bonnie that she understands that Bonnie wants to wait and be with the right guy but then she urges her to give Jeremy a second chance because he cares about her so much. Sometimes, she even makes Caroline add her unwanted two cents and she would encourage Bonnie by telling her to just take a chance with Jeremy or anybody and that the perfect guy is not always ideal. Then they would stress how important love was especially in their situation when everybody was trying to kill them. _If that was the selling point for getting back with Jeremy then she would rather be single. Besides, Elena is probably blowing his trumpet because he's her brother!_

She was getting sick and tired of their unwanted encouragements and had taken to avoiding them. But she realised one thing though, her friends believed she was still a virgin waiting to be with her ideal guy and Bonnie let them maintain that mistaken belief else they would question why she was being so difficult and probably take a more active and intrusive role in getting her hooked and justify it by saying they had her best interests in mind.

The summer that Elena's parents died, she had been on vacation outside of Mystic Falls and she met a guy, Caleb, who had just graduated from high school. She was 16 to his 18 and they were attracted to each other and for once she decided to let go and relax. The sex was fun, not the first time though, that shit was painful the first time but practice makes perfect however, a few weeks before the end of summer break, Caroline called with the news that Mr and Mrs Gilbert were dead in a car accident and that Elena was the only survivor. She spent the rest of summer providing emotional support for Elena and it seemed cruel of her to talk about her fun summer. When school started, Elena met Stefan and before Bonnie knew it vampires, werewolves and magic became part of her daily life. She never did tell Elena and Caroline about Caleb but, sometimes she thinks of the time they had and she misses how carefree and happy she was. She didn't love him but she enjoyed being with him.

Jeremy on the other hand is a different case entirely. The involvement of the supernatural world in their lives just made their relationship more complicated than it ought to be. It started out by keeping him protected even though it meant keeping him in the dark, when he eventually got to know about the supernatural world, their relationship evolved to ensuring he had a friend in her in the chaos their lives had become. From there they started hanging out more and after a while they decided to take the next step in their relationship but it all crumbled when he decided that kissing a ghost was much more worthwhile than being faithful to her.

She's realized that knowledge of the supernatural has made it easier for her friends to rationalize the questionable behaviours of their significant others. _She was not about to jump on that bandwagon._ Elena's relationship with the Salvatore brothers is a prime example of how explaining away certain behaviours can lead to more heartache and Bonnie did not want that for herself. _Better to learn from Elena's mistake than to experience it herself._ So there was no way she getting back with Jeremy in the nearest future.

* * *

Another person who was getting on her nerves was the original hybrid. Unlike Elena, this was not as a result of continuous interaction with him but because the conversation she had with him on that fateful night was still playing on a loop in her mind.

 _That fateful night_

She opened her door for the original hybrid and he walked in like he owned the place. After a sarcastic greeting, he rummaged through her kitchen, got two tumbler glasses, took a sit in the living room and poured what she was told was scotch in the glasses.

After he had finished playing host, complete with telling her to have a sit and despite her annoyance, the first thing to come out of her mouth was; "you do know it's illegal for me to drink, right?"

"Compared to the other illegal things you do, for instance, kidnapping, aiding and abetting in torture, this is pretty tame don't you think?" he answered with a playful smirk on his face.

She had nothing to say to that and before she got sidetracked, she effectively nipped that conversation in the bud by taking a sip from her glass of scotch. It burned but she refused to grimace which only served to amuse Klaus.

"So what is this favour you desperately need from me?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes at his exaggeration but answered nonetheless.

"I need you to...instruct me on ways I can better perform magic as well as what I should expect from the supernatural world."

Klaus was silent for a while, processing her request, then "you want me to train you?" she purposely refused to use the word 'train' but in reality that was exactly what she was asking him to do. "Yes." She answered.

"To what end?" she did not expect the question nor did she fully understand the meaning behind it and at her confused expression, Klaus elaborated. "What purpose do you hope to achieve from this training?

The first thing that came to her mind was that the question sounded like one a prospective employer would ask a prospective employee during an interview but since he did not immediately refuse her, she answered sincerely.

"I want to be better equipped in protecting the people I love." She realised that she was asking him to teach her how best to deal with anyone who might mess with her and her friends and although there was no conflict between them now, this could very well include him and his family.

She was sure he would refuse her and this filled her with disappointment, the Salvatores had limited knowledge and experience. Even Damon who was charged with protecting the Bennett line knew next to nothing about her heritage except _Bennett witches are powerful and can do anything when they put their minds to it._ That was so bloody unhelpful, normal human beings can and have achieved their dreams when fully committed and Damon made it sound like commitment was strictly a Bennett trait.

Klaus sighed. "Even if I wanted to instruct you like you said, your foundation is flawed."

At first she was surprised that he would consider instructing her but everything he said registered and she frowned.

"What do you mean my foundation is flawed."

He took as sip of his scotch as he considered her then he said, "Your relationship with magic is just like your relationship with your friends."

Bonnie was gobsmacked especially when she knew for certain he didn't mean that as a compliment.

"You love them and they might love you but that love they might feel for you has been taken for granted. Most of the time they only call on you when they need help or answers to whatever problems they find themselves in and from what I've observed, you're beginning to resent it. Your need to protect them, which used to be borne out of love now feels more like an obligation, something you think you are required to do. Am I right?" He asked with that infuriating smirk on his face.

"Of course not!" she exploded. "You're wrong and even if you were right, which you're not, my relationship with my magic is not flawed." Bonnie was so angry at him and with his analogy, she could not believe his nerves.

"You think so?" Klaus asked, clearly amused by her anger.

"I know so." She snapped. Already regretting asking him for help as he clearly had not idea of what he was saying.

"Tell me then, how did you feel when your powers were taken from you?" Klaus asked, he had a point to prove and he was going to knock her down a peg or two in the process.

"I felt like a part of me was ripped out." She answered through clenched teeth. If he was trying to provoke her by psychoanalyzing her and reopening old wounds, then he was succeeding.

"And when you got your powers back, when that ripped part of you was later restored, what did you do? Did you nurture it? Did you spend personal time trying to get to know it better? Or do you take it for granted, only calling upon it when you need it? Do you now consider a good day as one where you did not have to perform magic?" Klaus asked leaning forward, his gaze daring her to answer.

Bonnie was stunned into silence but Klaus was not done.

"Your magic is obligated to answer when you call but that's the level of loyalty it owes to you right now. It's natural to feel protective of someone you know and love but since you haven't given your magic the chance to bond with you on a personal level, the natural inclination to protect you is absent." Klaus leaned closer to her and now he was speaking in a quiet but firm voice.

"That's why you have nosebleeds and bouts of dizziness after you conduct your spells. After the spell, your magic retreats back until you call on it again, it doesn't take the time to caress you because if it did, you wouldn't suffer from post spell problems like nosebleeds or dizziness, the caress would have taken care of that."

Bonnie looked at him, a heavy feeling within her, searching for signs that might indicate that he was lying to her and found none.

"It doesn't matter what I teach you, if you do not take the time to get personally acquainted with your magic, your true potential will remain dormant. Remember, every relationship where the parties love, understand, respect and cherish each other is in most cases, a strong and healthy relationship. So do you love, understand, respect and cherish your magic?" He asked but it was a rhetoric question meant for her to ponder on.

Klaus finished his drink and stood up.

"I'll leave the bottle for you love, think about what I said." He said and the next thing she heard was her front door closing indicating that he had left.

 _End of that fateful night_

A few days have passed yet the events of that night continue to play in her mind and if she didn't know better she would think she had been compelled to continue thinking about it.

Klaus had forced her to really examine the way she treated her magic and she is ashamed to admit even to herself that she was guilty of neglecting and failing to nurture her magic. It burns her to know that she treats something that is inherently a part of her the way her friends have treated her on occasion. She may not have admitted it to Klaus, but she knows that her relationship with her friends is not what it used to be like ever since they got sucked into the ambit of the supernatural world. However, she has no idea on how to begin bonding with her magic, she doesn't know any other witch that could guide her or explain the experience to her. She thought of her mum but Abby had a worse relationship with her magic and she was not ready for the woman to abandon her again.

Her only hope is Klaus and at this stage she desperately needs his help. _Damn it!_

 **A/N: Hey readers! I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope you enjoy reading it! Don't forget to let me know what you think about this chapter and the story in general. Constructive criticism is always appreciated!**


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